In the field of information security, access control includes the selective restriction of access to a protected or otherwise secure resource. Such resources may contain sensitive or confidential information. Permission to access a resource occurs upon authentication of a user's identity. Passwords, security tokens and biometrics are commonly used for such authentication. These techniques provide varying levels of security. For example, password authentication is relatively easy to implement, but passwords are easily forgotten. Further, stolen or guessed passwords permit unauthorized access to restricted resources. A security token is a type of electronic key that, when used in conjunction with a password, can provide additional security. However, unauthorized access also occurs by users who illicitly intercept security tokens. Biometrics authentication provides more security than passwords and security tokens because biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, include distinctive and measurable physical characteristics, which are difficult to reproduce. Securing data representing biometric information reduces theft and misappropriation.